SEMANTIC CATEGORIZATION OF Thai " kʰrʉ̂ɑŋ rʉan " (HOUSEHOLD BELONGINGS): A PROTOTYPE AND ETHNOLINGUISTIC APPROACH
Keywords:
Prototype Theory, Household Belongings, Furniture, Ethnolinguistics, Semantic CategorizationAbstract
This research article aimed to: 1) study the meaning of /kʰrʉ̂ɑŋ rʉan/ within the framework of prototype theory, 2) compare the semantic boundaries and usage of /kʰrʉ̂ɑŋ rʉan/ in Thai and “furniture” in English as perceived by Thai speakers, and 3) analyze the semantic categorization of /kʰrʉ̂ɑŋ rʉan/ from an ethnolinguistic perspective. This study employed a descriptive approach. Data were collected from 300 native Thai speakers (150 males and 150 females, aged 20-60 years, from all four regions of Thailand) through a questionnaire. The respondents were asked to name 20 items they considered as /kʰrʉ̂ɑŋ rʉan/" and rank each item based on how representative it was of the category.
The results showed that the highest-ranked items were bed, chair, and table, which closely aligned with the meaning of “furniture” in English. However, respondents also identified other items such as plates, refrigerators, televisions, spoons, and bowl as /kʰrʉ̂ɑŋ rʉan/. The findings revealed that /kʰrʉ̂ɑŋ rʉan/ has a broader meaning than “furniture”. While “furniture” referred to movable articles used to make a room, house, or office suitable for occupancy, "/kʰrʉ̂ɑŋ rʉan/" encompassed not only furniture but also household belongings, kitchenware, appliances, and decorative items. These findings supported prototype theory, which posits that semantic categories had clear core members and fuzzy boundaries. Bed, chair, and table served as core members, while other items exhibited varying degrees of membership in the category. The study also demonstrated the role of language and culture in every categorization practices. Thai speakers employed a holistic approach to categorize household items, whereas English speakers categorize them more discretely and specifically.
References
Barbara C. Malt, Steven A. Sloman, Silvia Gennari, Meiyi Shi, Yuan Wang. (1999). Knowing versus naming: Similarity and the linguistic categorization of artifacts. Journal of Memory and Language, 40(2), 230–262. https://doi.org/10.1006/jmla.1998.2593
Charunrochana, M. L. J. (2006). Gossip and gender: A semantic analysis of the word “gossip”. In K. Hongladarom & C. Chiamanun (Eds.), In the Dynamics of Contemporary Thai Language (1st Ed). (pp. 53-82). Chulalongkorn University Press.
Charunrochana, M. L. J. (2009). The relationship between religious devoutness and the interpretation of the meaning of the word "lie" in Thai: A prototype semantics analysis. Journal of Language and Linguistics, 27(2), 1–20.
Coleman, L. & Kay, P. (1981). Prototype semantics: The English word "lie". Language: Journal of the Linguistic Society of America, 57(1), 26-44
De Deyne, S., Verheyen, S. & Storms, G. (2016). Age-Related Degree and Criteria Differences in Semantic Categorization. Journal of Cognition, 2(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.5334/joc.74
Domnern, S. & Sathienpong, V. (2006). Domnern Sathienpong's Thai-English dictionary (3rd ed.). Bangkok: Matichon.
Formoso, B. (1990). From the Human Body to the Humanized Space: the System of Reference and Representation of Space in Two Villages of Northeast Thailand. Journal of the Siam Society, 78(2), 67–83.
Gyarunsutu, P. (1983). Chinese loanwords in modern Thai. (Master of Arts in Linguistics). Graduate School: Chulalongkorn University
Hollmann, W. B. (2012). Semantic change. In Bergs, A., & Brinton, L. J. (Eds.), English historical linguistics: An international handbook (pp. 525–547). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
Iamworamate, T. (2000). A new Thai-English dictionary (3rd ed.). Bangkok: Ruamsarn.
Lakoff, G. (1987). Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal about the Mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Lucy, J. A. (1992). Language diversity and thought: A reformulation of the linguistic relativity hypothesis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Furniture. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved December 10, 2025, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/furniture
Palmer, G. B. (1996). Toward a Theory of Cultural Linguistics. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Rosch, E. (1975). Cognitive representation of semantic categories. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 104(3), 192–233.
Royal Society of Thailand. (1999). Royal Institute dictionary B.E. 2542. Bangkok: Royal Society of Thailand.
Taherdoost, H. (2016). Validity and Reliability of the Research Instrument; How To Test The Validation of a Questionnaire/Survey in a Research. International Journal of Academic Research in Management, 5(3), 28–36.
